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The Hydrogen Sonata
Work In Progress, working through the novel, now up to chapter 16, "The Culture had a problem with the rump of the Zihdren civilisation that the Zihdren-Remnanters represented." ReginaldDrax (talk) 20:43, August 24, 2017 (UTC) The Hydrogen Sonata is Iain M. Banks' ninth novel in the Culture series, and, due to his passing, also the last. Synopsis The Hydrogen Sonata is about the Gzilt, a civilisation that almost joined the Culture 10,000 years before the novel, that have decided to Sublime, leaving behind “the Real” to take up residence in higher dimensions. The Zihdren-Remnant, what is left of an older species that Sublimed before the Culture was formed, send an envoy to confess a long-kept secret before the Gzilt depart but a Gzilt warship intercepts and destroys their ship several weeks before the Sublimation is due to take place in order to preserve that secret. The story follows a group of Culture Minds that are trying to find out the secret and what to do after they find it. The search centers around a truly ancient Culture citizen (Ngaroe QiRia) who is supposed to have taken part in the setup of the Culture some 10.000 years ago. Artefacts etc. * Antagonistic Undecagonstring, an eleven stringed musical instrument, designed to be played by a humanoid musician with four arms * Aphore, an animal a human can ride, analogous to a horse * Apranipryla, a giant raft, on Perytch IV, capable of storing a body, in a usable state, for decades * Book of Truth, aka BoT, Gzilt holy book * Emergency Helmet Collar, a Gzilt safety device, worn like a thick necklace, creates a helmet shaped protective area when needed * Hydrogen Sonata, a piece of music, clashing and atonal, written for the Antagonistic Undecagonstring by T'ikrin Vilabier, as "a joke", according to QiRia * Interesting Times Gang, aka ITG, mentioned * Raspulescent, adj, Of a simulated scenario: becoming ripe with political intrigue, Presumed to be coined after the Russian historical figure, Grigori Rasputin. Civilisations & Factions * Dolstre * Gzilt * Issialiayns, of Perytch IV, a water world * Liseiden * Oglari * Ronte * The Culture * Uwanui, of Cethyd * Werpesh, builders of the Girdle City on Xown, also the sculptors of Eshri * Zihdren-Remnanter, the portion of the Zihdren that are in contact with the Gzilt * Zihdren, a sublimed race Characters * Berdle, avatar of Mistake Not... * Boyuter, Gzilt Marshal * Briper Drodj, a Gzilt scribe, a disgraced, ruined trader from a fallen aristocratic family with classical military connections, writer of the Book of Truth * Cagad Agansu, Gzilt * Chekwri, a Gzilt Marshal * Chuje, a child * Docent Luzuge * Eglyle Parinherm, aka Unit Y988, a Gzilt android * Folrison * Frix, Gzilt * Gaed, Gzilt, Tech Commander * Gazan'tyo, Gzilt General * Geljemyn, the Gzilt president. * Hassipura Plyn-Frie, Culture drone, retired. The size and shape of a large grey suitcase. A rather battered and dusty large grey suitcase. * Jevan * Jelwilin Keril, the Iwenick Cultural Mission Director * Jonsker Ap-Candrechenat, Drone, Culture representative from the Beats Working, to the Ronte * Mierbuenes, an Iwenick, a Liseiden Ambassador to the Gzilt * Ngaroe QiRia, aka Isseren, aka Tursensa Ngaroe Hgan QiRia dam Yutton, aka Yutten Turse, an ancient Culture citizen, supposed to have taken part in the setup of the Culture * Ny-Xandabo-Tyun * Nyomulde * Oceanic-Dissonance, oZihdren-Remnanter Adjunct Entity * Orpe, aka Virisse * Ossebri 17 Haldesib, Ronte, Swarm Prince, Sub Swarm Divisional Head, Fleet Officer in Charge, * Pyan, Cossont's familiar * Quvarond * Reikl, Gzilt General, Marshal elect * Scoaliera Tefwe, a friend and a lover of Ngaroe QiRia, when he was already a very old man and she had been of conventional middle age – a little under two hundred * Septame Banstegeyne * Sklom, avatar of Warm, Considering * Solbli * T.C. Vilabier, aka Vilabier The Younger * Uhtryn, combat arbite, companion to Cagad Agansu * Vyr Cossont, a musician, the protagonist * Warib, Cossont's mother * Ximenyr, The Master of the Revels, Girdlecity * Yegres, Quavarond and Int'yom - Gzilt trimes * Yenilve, Gzilt * Yoawin, an aphore, hired by Tefwe. * Yueweag Etalde, commissar colonel * Ziborlun, an avatar of Passing By And Thought I'd Drop In Ships * 5*Gelish-Oplule, Gzilt regimental cruiser * 7*Uagren, Gzilt * A Fine Disregard For Awkward Facts, GSV * Anything Legal Considered, GCU * Beats Working, Culture, Limited Contact Unit, Scree Class, 5 crew * Caconym * Contents May Differ, GSV * Displacement Activity, Contact Unit (GCU) * Empiricist, GSV * Eshri, a Gzilt sculpt planet * Equatorial 353, vacuum dirigible, the last airship travelling through the Girdlecity * Exultation-Parsimony III * Fzan-Juym, sub-summit-orbit satellite of Eshri * Gellemtyan-Asool-Anafawaya, Liseiden flagship, Collective Purposes vessel, named for a Liseiden hero * Headcrash, GOU, Delinquent-class Offensive Unit * Iberre, Jelwilin Keril's private yacht. * IR-FWS 8*Churkun * Kakistocrat, Home GSV to Caconym * Melancholia Enshrines All Triumph, Ronte Flagship * Mistake Not..., Culture, Erratic Eccentric * Outloaded, Culture * Outstanding Contribution To The Historical Process, VFP * Passing By And Thought I'd Drop In, GSV * Pressure Drop * Refreshingly Unconcerned With The Vulgar Exigencies Of Veracity, Very Fast Picket * Smile Tolerantly, Once a GCU, now a Culture-Zihdren-Remnanter hybrid * Teething Problems, GSV * The Washing Instructions Chip In Life's Rich Tapestry, GSV * Uagren, Gzilt Battle Cruiser * Unreliable Witness, GSV, The Smile Tolerantly's old home GSV * Value Judgement, Very Fast Picket * Warm, Considering, GCU, Delta class * Xenocrat, GOU, Delinquent-class Offensive Unit * You Call This Clean?, LSV * Zoologist, Superlifter, Boulder class Locations * Ablate * Barlbanim, Gzilt world * Cethyd, a planet in the Heluduz system * Chyan’tya, a location on the Honn plate of the the Dibaldipen Orbital * Dibaldipen, Culture Orbital * Eshri a Gzilt world in the Izenion system, a Werpesh Sculpt planet, home of Fourteenth Regiment HQ * Girdlecity, a large city on Xown * Heluduz, a star system * Honn, a plate on the Dibaldipen Orbital * Hzu Sea, a sea on Zyse * Izenion, Gzilt world, home of Fourteenth Regiment * Kwaalon * Land, the landmass in the Pinicoln Sea, on Zyse * Launch Falls, in Girdlecity * Loliscombana, ?? * M'yon * Neressi fictitious location, claimed by Yutten Turse, another alias but spelt backwards * Ocean, an ocean on Zyse * Ospin, a Bokri, microrobital, in a red giant system * Perytch IV, a water world, home of the Issialiayns * Sapanatcheon, a star * The Mountains of the Sound, on Cethyd, in the Heluduz system * Taushe, Gzilt world * Xown, a Gzilt world in the Mureite system. * Zyse, a Gzilt world Bibliography To be Added References Category:Real World Novels